


Time to take a wife

by R_4_L



Category: Naruto
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Romance, Romantic Gestures, Shikakuweek 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25290823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_4_L/pseuds/R_4_L
Summary: As the next Nara Clan heir Shikaku is expected to marry and the clan elders have made a list of potential mates.  The list is surprising and so is how Shikaku approaches his mate.  The Nara’s are especially romantic they just like to hide from everyone else.  It becomes too troublesome otherwise.
Relationships: Nara Shikaku/Nara Yoshino
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12
Collections: Shikaku Week 2020





	Time to take a wife

**Author's Note:**

> As we don’t have much for family background past Shikaku and Yoshino, I have made some up. I have also included lather members of the shinobi universe that I have created.

He adjusted his pack just outside the front gates. He had just told his team mates that the clan elders were requiring him to get married when he returned from this mission.

“Who are you marrying?” Choza was concerned. Shikaku would be the first of the three to get married.

“Not sure, don’t think it really matters.” Shikaku knew he wouldn’t have a choice. It wasn’t that he was in love with anyone anyways but he could see where he friends were concerned. Depending on who his wife was, the marriage could make his life a living hell.

Shikaku tried to put it out of his mind. He needed to focus on the mission at hand. 

Walking back into the village, Shikaku kept control of his team. “Inoichi take the sealing scroll to T&I, I’m sure that Jomei will want a crack at him first. Choza can I trust you to go straight to the hospital? You need to get that arm looked at.”

“Yeah,” Choza just wanted to go home and sleep, but he recognized the look in Shikaku’s eye. “I’m going.” He shuffled off towards to hospital.

“Shikaku?” Inoichi looked over at his friend. The fight had been short and fierce. It had been a fluke shot that had injured Choza, slicing open his arm and knocking the big man backwards into a tree. Even though they had taken turns, Shikaku had carried their team mate the majority of the way home.

“I’ll put in our report then check into the hospital myself. Don’t worry Inoichi, I’ll get checked out.” Shikaku made his way to the Jonin Commander’s office and handed in the report.

“Alright, I’ll check on Choza after I drop these assholes off.” 

It was another six hours before Shikaku was able to walk through the gates to the Nara clan. The clan lands were large with the Nara forest creeping closer in some area then in others. It was one of the few places in the village were one could see a Nara deer walking among the houses. That wasn’t to say the animals were tame, it was more that every once in a while one of the bucks would decide they needed to scent a certain fence or porch post. Shikaku really just wanted to walk around the back of his family home and into the green fields to lie down at the edge of the forest and fall asleep. The deer would lookout for him.

“Shikaku?” Shiken Nara stood at the open door.

“Yeah, I’m home.” Shikaku sighed as he gave thoughts of resting amongst the deer and walked up the steps. He answered the questions he saw reflected in his fathers face. “The mission was a success. No major injuries. Choza has a concussion and laceration on his arm that needed more then we could do for him in the field. Inoichi and I are just suffering from minor exhaustion.”

“That’s good to hear.” His son’s mission had run a week over and while it wasn’t unusual and Shikaku was seventeen now, his was still clan heir and his only son. He just needed to figure out how bad it was. “Sleep, Shoji or sake?” His son’s answer would let him know his state of mind.

“Sleep.” Shikaku laid a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “I’m good dad, but I wouldn’t say no to game and a drink later. I’m going to go shower and then sleep.”

Shikaku stripped off his jonin blues and tossed them in the basket to be washed. A hot shower and ten hours of sleep and he was feeling more like himself. Walking into the kitchen he saw his parents getting ready for lunch.

“Shikaku,” Ruka spotted him first.

“Mom, dad.” He took the plate of food she handed him. 

“Son, I’d much rather give you another day or two, but the elders are getting pushy.”

“So who have they decided I’m marrying?” Shikaku knew that there was no way to fight it. He could only hope that the elders picked someone he could live with.

“We’ve done the best we can. I don’t know what some of those elders were thinking with the list they presented. Some of those women were three times your age.” His mother huffed her displeasure, but left the room to get the files the elders had put together. 

At his son’s confused look, Shiken explained. “The elders would have presented a list of possible twenty mates and we have it down to five choices. Not that we’ve completely illuminated the others, but these are the ones that we think suit you best.” Shiken disliked the pushy elders, but even as clan leader, there was only so much lea way he could demand for his son. It would have been different had Shikaku been dating. If that had been the case, the elders would have let Shikaku make the choice.

Shikaku sighed as he opened the first folder. “Why does it feel so cold. Do I just pick from here or what?”

His father sighed. “No you can talk to them and take them out on dates. The five we choose were are all non-clan members, there are clan members in the other pile. Everyone listed has been approached so it won’t be like this is out of the blue for them. None of them expect anything, they just know that a member of the Nara of the clan is looking for a spouse. The elders want a decision soon. Three months or they’ll take the decision out of your hands.”

“Troublesome.” Shikaku sipped his tea and studied the first file, while his parents left to give his some time to sort through the files. He could see why his folks singled out the first five. 

The first one was Mei Kiru, she just turned 13. It would delay the wedding for two or three years, but she was a fair match, at least on paper. The only issue was the fact she’d failed the genin exams four times and from the report she wasn’t looking at taking it again. It was a possibility, but if she remain a civilian even though she came from a shinobi family and had some training, it would make relating to her difficult. He closed the file and moved on the next. 

The second possibility was Shiranui Genma. He was 10 which would mean a longer engagement. Shiranui was also the last of his line, his father having been the only child of an only child who had passed away last year. It was possible that the his mother was looking at one of children they could have via surrogate taking on the Genma family name. At least the clan elders weren’t afraid to put forth a same sex partnership for him. Hell he wasn’t sure he even swung that way, never really thought about it. Shiranui sure was a cute boy, it might be interesting. The guy was in the academy and from this report was an excellent student who had a passion for poison. He was a strong possibility. 

The third was another male Daichi Houzki had been a class mate of his. He was from a civilian family, but if he remembered correctly, they were merchants and well off. Shikaku was pretty sure the guy was still a chunin. He was pretty average as a shinobi, but loud and active. Way too active and way too loud. He’d scare off the deer. He put that file off to the side.

The fourth was Chioza Akimichi’s sister Chizu. She was three years younger then them and a true Akimichi. “No, just no.” Shikaku knew her, but between time spent at the Akimichi clan she was too much like a sister of his own. He set the folder on top of Daichi’s.

Shikaku hoped the last file was a little better because going on dates was so time consuming and troublesome and he really didn’t want to have to mine through the other files. He trusted his parents, so if his mother said that these were the best of the lot he really didn’t want to try and go through it all again.

Yoshino was another former classmate. She was an Chunin and if he remembered correctly had excellent taijutsu. She could definitely hold her own especially since she had been friends with Mikoto who was dating Fugaku Uchiha. Those two had teamed up not only against Fugaku but also against the stuck Hyuga twins. Not only that, she was smart and beautiful.

Shikaku sat there for another couple of hours before his father joined him. “Well?”

“I think I’ve actually cut it down to two.” He side eyed his father, “the elders really okayed all those candidates?”

“You’re wondering about the males that we included. The ones included were either clan heirs in their own right or would have have brought something worth while to the clan. They have a list of surrogates from the clan if you had chosen one of them.” Shiken watched his son carefully, Shikaku didn’t seemed upset just curious. As Shikaku had never dated, or at least never brought anyone home, he had no idea of his son’s sexual orientation. “If I can ask, who have you narrowed it down to?” His son’s choices would possibly give it a clue as to who else he could possibly pull out of the pile, or who he could guide him towards.

“Yoshino Samaki and Shiranui Genma.”

Talk about one on each end of the spectrum. Skin shook his head, his son never did take the easy route. “Take Yoshino out on a date first. From what I’ve heard, her parents are pressuring her as well and honestly her other choices are as good as you. Shiranui is a good choice and if you and Yoshino don’t get along he would be a great choice, but he’s young yet and he and his mother both have no problem with him waiting and the clan fading.”

Two days later Shikaku met Yoshino at a small tea house on the south side of the village for their first date. As it was a semi-formal affair she wore a kimono and he a hakama. He brought her river stones as a mating gift. They spent four hours chatting and having tea. 

The next night they strolled through the village just talking, both wearing their shinobi blues. He brought her a set of shiruken and a promise to spar with her.

It took a week a for the third date as Yoshino had a mission. Shikaku trained and hung with his friends. He had lunch with Shiranui Genma and a couple of friends of his in order to for it not to be a date. 

They had a number of dates amongst the Nara forest where he helped her feed the deer and showed her the wonder of the trees. He told her the legends of the forest as she sat in his arms, his shadows wrapped around her.

At the edge of the field they played shoji on a board that she gifted him made of polished stone and using the river stones he had gifted her earlier as the pieces. It had given her an excuse to practice her carving skills.

They trained together and with each other’s teams. It had been a challenge to fight against his shadows. What she liked best was that he didn’t hold back. He didn’t treat her as weak because she was female, he treated her as an equal.

“So?” Shiken moved yet another shoji piece. He had his son on the run.

“I’ve made my decision. I’ll talk to Yoshino tomorrow.” Shikaku made his move without really thinking. 

“So are you just going to talk or propose?” He hoped his son had a better plan than ‘hey, since you already agreed, let’s get married.’ He’d been watching the way Shikaku had courted Yoshino and he had been proud to watch the process. 

“Yes, Dad. I’ll propose. She’s an awesome Chunin and I don’t want to give her something that could put her at risk, so no ring. I have a plan, and I think it’ll work. I bought a set of earrings for her. Was thinking of matching tattoos, but again I don’t want anything that could put her at risk.” He did have a ring for her, one he hoped that she would enjoy and wear when she was in the village.

He had plans and friends willing to help him. Choza helped with a picnic lunch filled with all of their favorites that he left on a blanket at the edge of the Nara woods. Inoichi had sent along a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Shikaku wrapped his proposal gifts and his shoji set and placed them by the picnic. Now he just needed to go into town to meet Yoshino for tea and to bring her back here.

“Shikaku, just what do you have planned?” Yoshino could see the man had something planned and it was only her faith in them that convinced it wasn’t that he was going to break up with her.

“Trust me?” He held her hand as he lead her towards the clan forest.

She stroked a hand across his handsome face. “Of course.” He looked exactly like his father with his sharp features, dark goatee, and hair pulled back into a high tail, “come on gorgeous, what’s going on?”

Shikaku held her hand to his cheek before turning his head and kissing it. “It’s a surprise.” He kissed her gently before threading his fingers through hers and leading her to his favorite spot in the back pasture. Walking backwards, Shikaku kept his eyes on hers. “I thought maybe a romantic picnic for two?”

Yoshino could only stammer and blush at the work Shikaku had put into the evening. The meal had included all of her favourites, the flowers were a mix of lilacs, orchids, passion flowers, and tulips. Of course the bouquet had been put together by Inoichi which meant there was a meaning behind each flower. Reaching back to the lessons she had for seduction she reached for the meaning behind the flowers. She listed them out loud. “Lilacs for the first emotions of love. Orchids for refined beauty, really Shikaku. Passion flower to symbolize faith and tulips, my favorite as a declaration of love. Did you choose the flowers or the message or did Inoichi do all the work?”

Shikaku blushed, he rubbed the back of his neck. It would be embarrassing to admit but damn it if he was going to propose, if she was going to be his wife, she would see him at his lowest and weakest points. This was nothing. “I gave him a list of both. I know your favorite flowers. How lucky was it that they just happened to play into the message I wanted to send.”

“Shikaku?” Yoshino was shaking. What the hell was he playing at?

He handed her the first of his proposal gift. “Yoshino. I know that both my clan and yours had originally arranged this, but I believe that we would make a good match. Would you do me the honour of being my wife?”

Yoshino was flabbergasted. She sat on the blanket with her bouquet of flowers beside her and a plethora of gifts surrounding her. Everything from shinobi tools and a custom vest, to earrings to and a deer pelt. “Shikaku,” his name was whispered as he held out a ring made all the more beautiful for it’s simplicity.

“It may not be love yet, but the seeds are there and if we nurture it, it will grow as thick and as strong as the Nara forest. I warn you, it will not be easy. As the wife of the Clan head there will be times where my duties will take precedence over yours, where you will feel over shadowed and under appreciated, know that as I am the shadow, you are my light.”

“Shikaku. Yes. Yes, of course I will marry you. As long as you come back to me, I will endure, I am shinobi.”

They were married that spring. He had been on back to back to back missions and the had barely been conscious for the wedding. Yoshino had done the majority of the planning, with the help of his mother, Rika. It had met all of the clan’s requirements without being so over the top that Shikaku and Yoshino felt out of place. 

“I know I left the majority of this to you but thank you.” Shikaku held Yoshino in his arms in the moonlight. The day had been long but wonderful. The majority of the clan plus other clan heads and heirs had come to see Shikaku and Yoshino get married. They were on the dance floor, Shikaku was in a dress hakama, his haori had the Nara clan symbol on the back. Yoshino was in a dark red kimono with prancing deer across the bottom. Her bright blue obi was scatter with cherry blossoms. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look today.”

He danced with her across the lawn, the moonlight reflecting in her eyes. The glint of the kanzashi in her hair reminded him that she wasn’t just a beautiful woman, but also a deadly shinobi. He knew without a shadow of a doubt they were sharp and to be used as weapons. He knew because he had gifted them to her, he never wanted her to be without a weapon or to feel that she needed to rely upon him for protection when he knew that she could protect herself. “Yoshino, you never fail to take my breathe away.”

“Shikaku, you never fail to surprise me.” Yoshino kissed her new husband. “I love you.”


End file.
